It has been heretofore proposed that loading and unloading mechanisms be provided for placing and removing work pieces on a machine tool such as the chuck of a lathe so that various functions can be performed on the work piece and thereafter unloading the work piece.
The present invention is directed to a loading and unloading system wherein the work pieces are particularly thin so that they cannot be readily clamped and unclamped by heretofore used mechanical clamping devices associated with the loading and unloading mechanisms.
In accordance with the invention, a loader-unloader system is provided for loading and unloading work pieces, particularly work pieces having thin portions, in a machined tool wherein each work piece is held in position for rotation about a longitudinal axis during which various machine operations may be performed on the tool. The system comprises a loading conveyor adapted to deliver articles in succession to a loading position and an unloading conveyor adapted to receive work pieces. A loader-unloader assembly is provided adjacent the conveyors and comprises a track extending along an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the machine, a trolley movable along the track means, and means for moving the trolley back and forth along the track means. A load-vacuum clamping head assembly is mounted on the trolley, and an unload-vacuum head assembly is mounted on the trolley. Each assembly includes a vacuum head for gripping a work piece and is mounted on the trolley for swinging movement into and out of position adjacent the machine tool and for reciprocating movement toward and away from the axis of the machine tool.